Human Remains Found in Taal Lake Search Efforts
MANILA, Philippines — Authorities have recovered human ribs while searching for missing sabungeros in Taal Lake, Batangas, a source confirmed. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla reported the discovery on Thursday, highlighting the significance of the find in the ongoing investigation.
“Today, human remains were found in Taal Lake in the area pointed to us by our sources, which was also identified by alias Totoy,” said Remulla, referring to Julie Patidongan, the whistleblower and one of the accused in the case.
The Department of Justice chief revealed that four sacks were retrieved from a specific lake quadrant: two filled with sand and two containing skeletal remains. Informants indicated this spot as a dumping ground for victims.
“What was found in that quadrant of Taal Lake is a positive indication that [Totoy] knew what he was talking about because what he identified was indeed found there,” Remulla added.
Informants Lead to Discovery
The area was identified by a group of boatmen named by Patidongan. These boatmen allegedly disposed of bodies and pointed to the exact location where remains were dumped.
Earlier on Wednesday, three bodies were exhumed near the lake. Though initial reports hinted at ties to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, Remulla clarified on Thursday that the remains were unrelated to drug war casualties but connected to the missing sabungeros case.
“The connection to the drug war is that the death squads used here in e-sabong are the same ones commonly used during the drug war. We can identify the units these people came from,” he explained. “We’ve already linked the histories of some officials involved.”
Details About the Recovered Bodies
The three bodies recovered reportedly surfaced in Taal Lake around 2020. Police initially took custody before handing them to a funeral home. As the remains went unclaimed, the authorities eventually buried them following standard procedure.
Remulla noted that some teeth and facial features remained recognizable. “Hopefully, we can extract DNA once we start tracking. One appears to be female because a woman’s underwear was found in one of the sacks, which strengthens the suspicion. There really was a reported incident about a woman who was abducted in Lipa,” he shared.
This development intensifies the search for answers surrounding the missing sabungeros and the alleged involvement of death squads operating within illegal e-sabong activities.
For more news and updates on human remains found in Taal Lake, visit Filipinokami.com.
